Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police has seized ganja worth Rs 2,106 crore and hash oil valued at Rs 225 crore, besides destroying illegal hemp cultivation spread over 63,720 acres, during a statewide anti-drug drive conducted between July 2024 and March 2026, DGP YB Khurania said Wednesday.
Khurania shared the details while addressing the state-level pre-trial drug disposal programme and mass anti-drug pledge ceremony in Bhubaneswar.
The National-Level Pre-Trial Drug Destruction Special Drive is being conducted across the country from June 26 to July 10 under the directions of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
The DGP said illegal hemp cultivation on more than 63,720 acres was destroyed across the state during the period, with the estimated market value of the crop pegged at Rs 1,911 crore.
He said police registered 2,445 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, seized 421 tonnes of ganja worth Rs 2,106 crore and arrested 3,502 people allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade.
Khurania said police in Koraput and Malkangiri districts busted an illegal hash oil manufacturing unit and seized around 1,800 litres of the oil worth about Rs 225 crore.
Four persons allegedly linked to the racket were arrested from Kerala.
He said the Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police also arrested two members of an interstate drug smuggling syndicate operating in Kandhamal, Boudh and Sonepur districts, as well as in neighbouring states.
During the ongoing pre-trial drug destruction special drive from June 26 to July 10, Odisha Police initiated the destruction of 82 tonnes of seized ganja and 11.4 kg of brown sugar with an estimated value of around Rs 1,000 crore, he said.
The DGP said the state government has approved the establishment of four special NDPS courts in Bhubaneswar, Khurda, Angul and Sambalpur to ensure speedy trial of drug trafficking cases.
He also announced that a special Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), headed by an officer of the rank of Additional DGP, will be constituted. The task force will comprise 10 operational units and 19 special intelligence units across the state.
Khurania said police have prepared an action plan to make the state drug-free by March 2029.
Separate action plans have been drawn up for each of the eight districts identified as vulnerable to illegal hemp cultivation to dismantle the entire ganja smuggling network, he added.
“Special emphasis is being given to identifying the masterminds and financiers behind illegal ganja cultivation and conducting financial investigations against them, which will completely break the financial backbone of the drug mafia,” he said.
